Life Is Sweet: Reading Vampire Academy
by BobbyBoo'sbestfriend
Summary: Rose and the gang are reading all the Vampire Academy books! : What else is there to say? : Written in different POVs so you also know what the other characters think about Rose's life. Rated M, just in case and maybe for later chapters! :
1. Chapter 1

Hey everyone!

Okay, I just wanted to say that I'm from Germany - so please don't be too hard on me! ;) If there are any mistakes please tell me! :)

Have fun reading! :)

Straightening myself back in a guardian posture, I composed my face of all emotions as I watched my best friend and queen as she signed her name to some legal documents. It was strange not having that bond between us. I frowned slightly. I was so used to being able to feel her emotions and I was pretty sure that deep down within her she was feeling the same yearning to have me be aware of her thoughts.

I had just gotten to my room from guarding Lissa when I saw a note on my door saying:

_Guardian Rosemarie Hathaway,_

_Please meet in room 13, your friends and family will be there. It is imperative that you get there immediately! There you will find a surprise and I hope that this helps with your life Guardian Hathaway!_

_Unknown sender_

I stared at the note, not sure what to do next. Someone wanted me to go to room 13 and meet my friends and family and obviously this person knew my name. I sighed but decided to go there.

Room 13…. room 13… Where the hell was it?

"Rose?" I heard a voice calling my name. As I turned around I saw Eddie making his way towards me and I smiled at him.

"Hey", I said. "What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be with Hans?"

He grinned. "Nope. Just got a call from the queen herself, telling me to meet her in room 13."

So I wasn't the only one to get that message.

We quickly made our way to the room and as we got there I heard voices from inside but I was not quite able to make out what they were saying through the huge wooden door. I pushed open the door slowly and stopped in my tracks at who was in the room. Lissa, Dimitri, my parents, Adrian, Christian and Sydney were all sitting in a circle on two-seater sofas, and I noticed that we were all paired off. There was a spare couch, and a spare seat next to Christian that I could only assume was for Lissa. She went to sit down next to Christian.

I ran over to Adrian, yanked him to his feet, and crushed him in a hug. He wrapped his arms around me too.

He chuckled. "Missed you too, Little Dhampir," he said, smirking."So you're not mad at me?" I asked carefully. "Because I really am sorry, I didn't mean to break your heart like that, and I seriously wasn't using you, it's just – " He cut me off by raising his hand.

"Little Dhampir, it was me that overreacted. And besides, I think I've found out what you mean by the whole 'balancing someone out' crap," he said, stealing a glance at Sydney, who blushed. I smiled and looked up at him. "Thanks", I whispered. "For everything."

"Any time, Rose. Any time. And you where right, we weren't meant to be together."

Wow. I've never heard him talking like that. I smiled and pulled back before we all sat down, and Dimitri pulled me onto his lap and wrapped his arms around me. I grabbed his hands and leaned into his chest, and he kissed my hair.

"So, why are we here? Anything important?", I asked and looked at the others.

"Well, we are here to read some books aloud," said Lissa, pointing at the cardboard box on the glass table in the middle. "Oh, and here is another note for you, Rose."

I took the letter from her and read:

_Dear Rose,_

_You are probably wondering why you are here. I want you to read the six books that are in the cardboard box: Vampire Academy, Frostbite, Shadow Kissed, Blood Promise, Spirit Bound and Last Sacrifice and I want you to read them all aloud so that there won't be any secrets left. Rose, it is written in your point of view and follows your life back at the Academy. The most important characters are Rose Hathaway, Lissa Dragomir, Dimitri Belikov, Christian Ozera, Adrian Ivashkov and Eddie Castile. But Janine Hathaway and Abe Mazur might be interested in it as well as they learn a lot about their daughter's life. Now, if there are no questions left enjoy reading and have fun!  
_

_Richelle Mead_

The earlier memory of both of my parents expressing their need to have a talk with Dimitri brought a slight smile to my face. It was something I both found amusing and slightly discomforting but I wasn't going to pry on the subject to long and burst my happy mood.

"Well, Richelle Mead is the author of these books," said Dimitri thoughtfully. "And I'm pretty sure that the order that she wrote the books in is the order of the books. So _Vampire Academy_ is the first." He picked it up and handed it to me. I flipped it over and read the blurb aloud:

**Only a true best friend can protect you from your mortal enemies…**

**Lissa Dragomir is a Moroi princess: a mortal vampire with a rare gift for harnessing the earth's magic. She must be protected at all times from Strigoi; the fiercest vampires – the ones who never die. The powerful blend of human and vampire blood that flows through Rose Hathaway, Lissa's best friend, makes her a Dhampir. Rose is dedicated to a dangerous life of protecting Lissa from the Strigoi, who are hell-bent on making Lissa one of them.**

"How the hell do they know so much about us?" I asked.

"Remember what Richelle Mead said about 'writing everyone's stories'? Maybe that's how. Anyway, keep reading, Rosie-Posie," taunted Christian. I glared at him and his smirk dropped of his face, before returning my attention to the book:

**After two years of freedom, Rose and Lissa are caught and dragged back to St. Vladimir's Academy, a school for vampire royalty and their guardians-to-be, hidden in the deep forests of Montana. But inside the iron gates, life is even more fraught with danger…and the Strigoi are always close by.**

"Yeah", I said. "But they were not really a danger for us back then… Apart from one…"

My parents looked at me curiously.

"Apart from one?", asked Abe but I just smiled at him.

"It's all in the book, old man." I could see that he wasn't happy about my answer but I ignored him and continued reading:

**Rose and Lissa must navigate their dangerous world, confront the temptations of forbidden love,**

My eyes locked with Dimitri's for a split-second, which no-one noticed. I was sure that he was what the book was talking about.

**and never once let their guard down, lest the evil undead make Lissa one of them forever…**

"Glad they never even got the chance to do that", I told her and Lissa nodded, smiling at me.

"Thanks to you, Rose." I laughed and shook my head.

"It wasn't all me, you know", I said, glancing at my mom and Christian.

"Well, are we gonna read this book or not?" asked snarky Christian. I rolled my eyes.

"Sure, who wants to read first?", I asked, looking around.

"I will", Eddie said and I tossed the book over to him. "Alright, here we go… Chapter One…"

So, what do you think? Should I continue writing? Review pleeeaaaasssseeeee! :) Thanks! :)


	2. AN

Hey guys!

I just wanted to say that I am working on the next few chapters but I won't be able to upload them until tomorrow (Saturday), so be patient! :)

If you have any wishes or ideas for this FF just let me know and I'll think about it! :)

And don't forget to correct my mistakes, please! It's really important for me! ;)

Yours

Franziska


	3. Chapter 2

Alright, here is the next chapter. Sorry to make you wait for so long!

**Chapter 1**

"Chapter One", read Eddie carefully.

**I felt her fear before I heard her screams.**

I groaned. It really was in my point of view!

"What does that mean, Rose? You _felt_ her?" Sydney looked bemused.

"It's the bond", I explained. "I was able to feel what Liss felt while we still had the bond."

She nodded and Eddie continued reading.

**Her nightmare pulsed into me, shaking me out of own dream, which had something to do with a beach and some hot guy rubbing suntan oil on me.**

Everyone burst out laughing because of the stupidity of the dream.

"Only you can dream of something like that, Rose!" laughed Christian and I glared at him.

"What! Don't tell me you have never dreamed of that?" They shook their heads and I sighed.

"No, we didn't," Adrian said, still laughing. "We're not like you, little Dhampire!"

I glared at him but didn't have time to reply as Eddie continued reading.

**Images – hers, not mine – tumbled through my mind: fire and blood, the smell of smoke, the twisted metal of a car.**

Everyone shivered, I cringed deeper into Dimitri's chest while Lissa looked like she was about to cry.

"What – what where you dreaming about?", Sydney asked carefully but Lissa just shook her head. She didn't want to remember the accident and all the pain and grief she had felt back then.

"The car accident that killed Lissa's parents and… me", I whispered and Sydney gasped.

"Oh my…." She stared at us, shocked about my words. "I'm so sorry… I didn't know that…."

"You died?" My mother's voice was barely a whisper and Abe pulled her closer to his chest, running his hand through her red hair.

I nodded. "That's how the bond was created."

We stayed silent for a while and I could see how shocked my mother was about my early death. I was barely twelve when it happened.

**The pictures wrapped around me, suffocating me, until some rational part of my brain reminded me that this wasn't ****_my_**** dream.**

**I woke up, strands of long, dark hair sticking to my forehead.**

"We all know what your hair looks like, Little Dhampir," said Adrian.

"I'm a _guardian_, Adrian, my brain is trained to notice the finer details," I retorted.

**Lissa lay in her bed, thrashing and screaming. I bolted out of mine, quickly crossing the few feet that separated us.** **"Liss," I said, shaking her. "Liss, wake up."**

**Her screams dropped off, replaced by soft whimpers. "Andre," she moaned. "Oh God."**

**I helped her sit up. "Liss, you aren't there anymore. Wake up." After a few moments, her eyes fluttered open, and in the dim lighting, I could see a flicker of consciousness start to take over. Her frantic breathing slowed, and she leaned into me, resting her head against my shoulder. I put an arm around her and ran a hand over her hair. "It's okay," I told her gently. "Everything's okay."**

Lissa shuddered as memories of the nightmare flashed through her mind again. I leaned over and wrapped my arms around her, and then whispered in her ear, "You're not there, Liss. You're here."

After a few moments, she finally calmed down.

"Thanks," she murmured, smiling at me. I nodded, releasing her and settling myself back into the comfort of Dimitri's lap.

"Can I continue now?", Eddie asked and we nodded.

**"I had that dream." **

**"Yeah. I know." **

**We sat like that for several minutes, not saying anything else. When I felt her emotions calm down, I leaned over to the nightstand between our beds and turned on the lamp. It glowed dimly, but neither of us really needed much to see by. Attracted by the light, our housemate's cat, Oscar, leapt up onto the sill of the open window.**

My mom looked surprised. "You had a cat?"

"Yeah, it was Jeremy's", I told her. "He never liked being around me but he loved Lissa!"

"Who doesn't?", said Christian and Lissa blushed. He kissed her on the cheek and she smiled at him.

**He gave me a wide berth—animals don't like dhampirs, for whatever reason—but jumped onto the bed and rubbed his head against Lissa, purring softly. Animals didn't have a problem with Moroi, and they all loved Lissa in particular. Smiling, she scratched his chin, and I felt her calm further.** **"When did we last do a feeding?" I asked, studying her face.**

Mom looked at me shocked. "Feeding!" She exclaimed.

"How else was Lissa supposed to get blood?" I replied, glaring at her.

„If you had stayed, you wouldn't have had this kind of problem in the first place!", my mother retorted.

I sighed. "We didn't have a choice!", I hissed. "They were after her and I had to protect her! What else was I supposed to do?"

"Hm… I don't know. How about telling someone else about it?", my mom asked and it took me a lot of self-control to not yell at her.

"Because no-one would have believed us!"

"You could have-", my mother begun but Abe interrupted her.

"Stop it, Janine.", he said. "We both agree that it wasn't the right thing to do but the past is the past and we cannot change it. Let us concentrate at the present and read the book. We can still talk about all this later. And we will.", he added, looking straight into my eyes.

_Great._ I thought. _And I so hoped to avoid all this… _

**Her fair skin was paler than usual.** **Dark circles hung under her eyes, and there was an air of frailty about her. School had been hectic this week, **

"I can't believe that you actually went to school while you were gone," Eddie said and shook his head. "That doesn't sound like you, Rose."

I smiled at him. "I wouldn't have gone to school if it wasn't for Lissa. You know me – I hate doing any kind of work for school!"

Eddie, Christian, Lissa and Adrian burst auf laughing and I grinned at them.

"Yeah, I remember when we had to write at least three pages about what courage is and the next day when Stan asked you about it and you didn't have it you just said: _That_ is courage!", Eddie said, still laughing. "His face was priceless!"

"Yeah, I got detention for that one! Two weeks, I think but he clearly overreacted that time!"

Abe smiled at me. "That's my girl!", he said proudly.

Surprisingly, even my mother had the hint of a smile on her face while she was lost in thoughts, probably about her time at school.

**and I couldn't remember the last time I'd given her blood. "It's been** **like…more than two days, hasn't it? Three? Why didn't you say anything?"**

**She shrugged and wouldn't meet my eyes. "You were busy. I didn't want to—" **

**"Screw that," I said, shifting into a better position. **

"Rose!", my mom exclaimed. "And I am surprised you drank from her, Vasilisa. I thought you were the responsible one! You should have said something!"

I sighed. I would never escape the consequences of our little vacation and no-one would ever understand the reason why we left. "Don't blame her, mom. It was my idea and it was the easiest way to get some blood."

She opened her mouth again but I raised my hand. "No, don't say anything. I don't regret running away with Lissa and I know you don't understand why but I'm sure it will be in the book."

She nodded but it was obvious that she wasn't very happy about my answer.

**No wonder she seemed so weak. Oscar, not wanting me any closer, leapt down and returned to the window, where he could watch at a safe distance. "Come on. Let's do this." **

**"Rose—" **

**"Come on. It'll make you feel better." **

**I tilted my head and tossed my hair back, baring my neck. I saw her hesitate, but the sight of my neck and what it offered proved too powerful. A hungry expression crossed her face, and her lips parted slightly, exposing the fangs she normally kept hidden while living among humans. Those fangs contrasted oddly with the rest of her features. With her pretty face and pale blond hair, she looked more like an angel than a vampire. **

Lissa blushed when she heard the last sentence but Christian just smiled at her. "You know", he told her. "Rosie-Posie is totally right this time. You really do look like an angel."

Lissa blushed even more and burried her head in his chest.

"It is true, Liss", I said, smiling at her.

**As her teeth neared my bare skin, I felt my heart race with a mix of fear and anticipation. I always hated feeling the latter, but it was nothing I could help, a weakness I couldn't shake. **

**Her fangs bit into me, hard, and I cried out at the brief flare of pain. Then it faded, replaced by a wonderful, golden joy that spread through my body. It was better than any of the times I'd been drunk or high. Better than sex—or so I imagined, since I'd never done it. **

"Wait, wait, wait! You were a virgin? _You?_", Christian exclaimed. "You out of all people?"

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?", I said and glared at him. "I'm not the slut everyone thinks I am!"

"See, she is just like you, Janie.", Abe whispered in my mom's ear, chuckling lightly. I raised my eyebrows and looked at him questioning.

"Oh", he answered, seeing my face. "Well, your mother always liked to _flirt_ with other men and I was literally shocked when she told me she was still a virgin."

My mom blushed, snuggling against Abe's chest. Wow, the famous Janine Hathaway actually blushed!

"I must say, I am shocked!", I told her.

"Why? It's nothing bad to be a virgin at that age!", she exclaimed.

"Oh", I said, grinning at her. "It's not the fact that you were still a virgin, but the fact that you liked to flirt around. What about all the lectures about me behaving like a whore?"

My mom looked at me, speechless and Abe chuckled.

"The great Janine Hathaway is speechless!", I laughed. "That day definitely goes down in history!"

Everyone laughed at that, even my mom.

**It was a blanket of pure, refined pleasure, wrapping me up and promising everything would be right in the world. On and on it went. The chemicals in her saliva triggered an endorphin rush, and I lost track of the world, lost track of who I was. **

I shivered at the memory of the feeling while I felt Dimitri stiffening behind me and turned around. His eyes looked sad as he remembered being a strigoi.

"Don't, don't think about it, Comrade", I whispered.

**Then, regretfully, it was over. It had taken less than a minute. She pulled back, wiping her hand across her lips as she studied me. "You okay?"**

**"I…yeah." I lay back on the bed, dizzy from the blood loss. "I just need to sleep it off. I'm fine." **

"Regretfully?", my mom exclaimed.

"Rose?", Lissa asked carefully. "You… you are not addicted, are you?"

"I… what!" I looked at her, shocked and sook my head. "No, Liss! Besides, it was almost two years ago, so don't worry about me! I'm fine!"

She nodded but didn't look all convinced.

**Her pale, jade-green eyes watched me with concern. She stood up. "I'm going to get you something to eat." **

My mother nodded. "That'll help you a little. Sleep and food are always good to get you back in form."

"Too bad I didn't even get the chance to really lay down and rest." I said and everyone looked at me curiously.

**My protests came awkwardly to my lips, and she left before I could get out a sentence.**

**The buzz from her bite had lessened as soon as she broke the connection, but some of it still lingered in my veins, and I felt a goofy smile cross my lips. Turning my head, I glanced up at Oscar, still sitting in the window. "You don't know what you're missing," I told him. His attention was on something outside. Hunkering down into a crouch, he puffed out his jet-black fur. His tail started twitching. **

**My smile faded, and I forced myself to sit up. The world spun, **

**and I waited for it to right itself before trying to stand. When I managed it, the dizziness set in again and this time refused to leave. Still, I felt okay enough to stumble to the window and peer out with Oscar.**

"You peered out together with a cat?", Adrian asked amused. "I'm concerned about your health, Little Dhampire."

"What did it feel like, Rosie? Peering out with Oscar…", laughed Christian and Lissa punched him on his arm. Smiling I shook my head and Eddie continued reading.

**He eyed me warily, scooted over a little, and then returned to whatever had held his attention. **

**A warm breeze—unseasonably warm for a Portland fall— played with my hair as I leaned out. The street was dark and relatively quiet. It was three in the morning, just about the only time a college campus settled down, at least somewhat. **

Sydney looked surprised. "How did you manage to get on a college campus?"

I shrugged. "It's always easy when your best friend is a spirit user!"

Lissa and Abe laughed while Sydney and my mom didn't llok too happy about it.

**The house in which we'd rented a room for the past eight months sat on a residential street with old, mismatched houses.**

****"Eight months?", Adrian exclaimed. "And they didn't find you earlier? Wow. Good work, Little Dhampire."

I smiled at him and Abe chuckled lightly.

**Across the road, a street light flickered, nearly ready to burn out. It still cast enough light for me to make out the shapes of cars and buildings. In our own yard, I could see the silhouettes of trees and bushes. **

**And a man watching me. **

"Here you go, comrade!", I whispered and Dimitri chuckled and kissed me on the forehead. "How long have you been standing out there?"

"Quite a time", he murmured. "Almost two days."

**I jerked back in surprise. A figure stood by a tree in the yard, about thirty feet away, where he could easily see through the window. He was close enough that I probably could have thrown something and hit him. He was certainly close enough that he could have seen what Lissa and I had just done. **

"Did you?", I asked and he nodded.

"Yes, but I wouldn't believe it until I saw your neck", Dimitri said and kissed me on the lips.

**The shadows covered him so well that even with my heightened sight, I couldn't make out any of his features, save for his height. He was tall. Really tall. He stood there for just a moment, barely discernible, and then stepped back, disappearing into the shadows cast by the trees on the far side of the yard. I was pretty sure I saw someone else move nearby and join him before the blackness swallowed them both.**

"What did you do?", Sydney asked but I shook my head.

"It's in the book, I'm sure."

**Whoever these figures were, Oscar didn't like them. Not counting me, he usually got along with most people, growing upset only when someone posed an immediate danger. The guy outside hadn't done anything threatening to Oscar, but the cat had sensed something, something that put him on edge. **

**Something similar to what he always sensed in me. **

**Icy fear raced through me, almost—but not quite—eradicating the lovely bliss of Lissa's bite. **

**Backing up from the window, I jerked on a pair of jeans that I found on the floor, nearly falling over in the process.**

**Once they were on, I grabbed my coat and Lissa's, along with our wallets. Shoving my feet into the first shoes I saw, I headed out the door. **

**Downstairs, I found her in the cramped kitchen, rummaging through the refrigerator. One of our housemates, Jeremy, sat at the table, hand on his forehead as he stared sadly at a calculus book. **

**Lissa regarded me with surprise. **

**"You shouldn't be up." **

**"We have to go. Now." **

**Her eyes widened, and then a moment later, understanding clicked in. "Are you…really? Are you sure?" **

**I nodded. I couldn't explain how I knew for sure. I just did. **

"Rose", my mother said, shaking her head. "You never had a chance against trained guardians! It was hopeless!"

"I know but we had to try!", I told her and Abe smiled at me proudly.

**Jeremy watched us curiously. "What's wrong?" **

**An idea came to mind. "Liss, get his car keys."**

**He looked back and forth between us. "What are you—" **

**Lissa unhesitatingly walked over to him. Her fear poured into me through our psychic bond, but there was something else too: her complete faith that I would take care of everything, that we would be safe. Like always, I hoped I was worthy of that kind of trust. **

Lissa looked at me, shocked. "Of course you are, Rose! I'm glad whenever you are around!"

I smiled. "Thanks, Liss."

**She smiled broadly and gazed directly into his eyes. For a moment, Jeremy just stared, still confused, and then I saw the thrall seize him. His eyes glazed over, and he regarded her adoringly. **

Sydney and Mom looked outraged. "Compulsion!"

"What else were we supposed to do?" I asked.

"Not use compulsion! There are many other ways of solving that!" Mom snapped.

„Yeah, and how exactly are we supposed to get the car keys? Tell him the truth about us? He would have asked tons of questions!", I answered angrily.

"You could have waited for the guardians to get you", mom suggested.

"Are you insane? They tried to drag us back to the Academy!", I yelled.

"Calm down, Roza", Dimitri whispered, rubbing my back.

"They are not the enemy, Rose!", my mom sighed.

**"We need to borrow your car," she said in a gentle voice. "Where are your keys?" **

**He smiled, and I shivered. I had a high resistance to compulsion, but I could still feel its effects when it was directed at another person. That, and I'd been taught my entire life that using it was wrong. **

**Reaching into his pocket, Jeremy handed over a set of keys hanging on a large red key chain. **

**"Thank you," said Lissa. "And where is it parked?" **

**"Down the street," he said dreamily. "At the corner. By Brown." Four blocks away. **

**"Thank you," she repeated, backing up. "As soon as we leave, I want you to go back to studying. Forget you ever saw us tonight." **

**He nodded obligingly. I got the impression he would have walked off a cliff for her right then if she'd asked. All humans were susceptible to compulsion, but Jeremy appeared weaker than most. That came in handy right now. **

**"Come on," I told her. "We've got to move." **

**We stepped outside, heading toward the corner he'd named. I was still dizzy from the bite and kept stumbling, unable to move as quickly as I wanted. Lissa had to catch hold of me a few times to stop me from falling. **

Dimitri sighed. "Roza, you were in a really bad state. Any Strigoi could have killed you! Did you really think you could escape?"

I shrugged. "It was worth a try!"

He chuckled and kissed me. I wrapped my arms around him and drew him closer to me as I melted into his kiss.

"I love you, comrade", I whispered and I felt him smile against my lips.

"I love you, too, Roza."

**All the time, that anxiety rushed into me from her mind. I tried my best to ignore it; I had my own fears to deal with. **

**"Rose…what are we going to do if they catch us?" she whispered. **

**"They won't," I said fiercely. "I won't let them." **

**"But if they've found us—" **

**"They found us before. They didn't catch us then. **

**We'll just drive over to the train station and go to L.A. They'll lose the trail." **

**I made it sound simple. I always did, even though there was nothing simple about being on the run from the people we'd grown up with. We'd been doing it for two years, hiding wherever we could and just trying to finish high school. Our senior year had just started, and living on a college campus had seemed safe. We were so close to freedom. **

**She said nothing more, and I felt her faith in me surge up once more. This was the way it had always been between us. I was the one who took action, who made sure things happened— sometimes recklessly so. **

**She was the more reasonable one, the one who thought things out and researched them extensively before acting. Both styles had their uses, but at the moment, recklessness was called for. We didn't have time to hesitate. **

**Lissa and I had been best friends ever since kindergarden, when our teacher had paired us together for writing lessons. Forcing five-year-olds to spell Vasilisa Dragomir and Rosemarie Hathaway was beyond cruel, and we'd—or rather, I'd—responded appropriately. I'd chucked my book at our teacher and called her a fascist bastard. I hadn't known what those words meant, but I'd known how to hit a moving target. **

**Lissa and I had been inseparable ever since. **

Everyone laughed at that.

"I remember that day", said my mother in between laughers. "I was standing in the back of the classroom while you threw the book at your teacher, Rose!"

Dimitri chuckled. "That's how you two became friends? I can see it now!"

After a few minutes, everyone finally calmed down for Eddie to continue.

**"Do you hear that?" she asked suddenly. **

**It took me a few seconds to pick up what her sharper senses already had. Footsteps, moving fast. I grimaced. We had two more blocks to go. **

**"We've got to run for it," I said, catching hold of her arm. **

**"But you can't—" **

**_"Run."_**

**It took every ounce of my willpower not to pass out on the sidewalk. My body didn't want to run after losing blood or while still metabolizing the effects of her saliva. But I ordered my muscles to stop their bitching and clung to Lissa as our feet pounded against the concrete.**

**Normally I could have outrun her without any extra effort—particularly since she was barefoot—but tonight, she was all that held me upright. **

**The pursuing footsteps grew louder, closer. Black stars danced before my eyes. Ahead of us, I could make out Jeremy's green Honda. Oh God, if we could just make it— **

**Ten feet from the car, a man stepped directly into our path. We came to a screeching halt, and I jerked Lissa back by her arm. It was him, the guy I'd seen across the street watching me. He was older than us, maybe mid-twenties, and as tall as I'd figured, probably six-six or six-seven. **

I looked at Dimitri curiously. "How tall are you? 6´6, 6´7?"

"6'7," he replied with a smile on his face as he looked down on me. Wow, somehow I felt even more save with him now that I knew how tall he really was. But height doesn't matter. My mother was a very good example. With only 150cm she was one of the best guardians I have ever seen and she had a presence that made you feel smaller than you really were.

**And under different circumstances—say, when he wasn't holding up our desperate escape—I would have thought he was hot. Shoulder-length brown hair, tied back in a short ponytail. Dark brown eyes. A long brown coat—a duster, I thought it was called. **

**But his hotness was irrelevant now. **

"Yeah, but that didn't stop you from sleeping with him," Adrian muttered and my parents raised an eyebrow.

"What?", I asked them. "Did you really think that I'm going to be a virgin my entire life? Really guys…"

"May I ask _when_ you two did sleep with each other?", my mom asked and I bit my lip. She recognized my hesitation and looked at me expectantly. "So?"

"I… we…", I stuttered and now even Christian and the others – apart from Adrian who already knew the whole story – stared at Dimitri and me, obviously expecting an answer.

"The night before the attack", Dimitri broke the silence and I didn't even dare to breath as we waited for a reaction from the others.

"Belikov", my mother hissed. "Do you even know how dangerous that was? She was your student and that, let alone the fact that she was underage, would have been enough to get you into jail! And Rose", she now turned to me. "Did you even think about your future? About Lissa? I know you can't help who you fall in love with but you two were still at the Academy! If anyone found out about you…."

She didn't exactly look mad but you could tell that she wasn't that happy about it either.

"I thought about Lissa all the time", I said quietly. "And we tried to fight it but it was impossible…"

"I don't think this is the time or place to talk about this", Abe interrupted us. "But I'd like to have a talk with you two after this chapter. In private." He added, looking straight into the eyes of my friends who nodded. "Great. Now that this problem is solved – Edison, would you please continue reading."

**He was only an obstacle keeping Lissa and me away from the car and our freedom. The footsteps behind us slowed, and I knew our pursuers had caught up. Off to the sides, I detected more movement, more people closing in. God. They'd sent almost a dozen guardians to retrieve us. I couldn't believe it. The queen herself didn't travel with that many. **

**Panicked and not entirely in control of my higher reasoning, **

**I acted out of instinct. I pressed up to Lissa, keeping her behind me and away from the man who appeared to be the leader. **

**"Leave her alone," I growled. "Don't touch her." **

**His face was unreadable, but he held out his hands in what was apparently supposed to be some sort of calming gesture, like I was a rabid animal he was planning to sedate. **

"Again, Rose, they are not the enemy", my mother sighed. "However, I have to admit that you tried to protect her even when you were hopelessly outnumbered. It was brave", she thought about it for a moment. "Stupid but brave."

At that Dimitri and I couldn't hide our smiles.

"What?", asked my mom confused.

"Dimitri said the same when we were on the plane back to the Academy", I replied.

"Great minds think alike", stated Christian and Eddie nodded before he began reading again.

**"I'm not going to—" **

**He took a step forward. Too close. **

**I attacked him, leaping out in an offensive maneuver I hadn't used in two years, not since Lissa and I had run away. The move was stupid, another reaction born of instinct and fear. And it was hopeless. He was a skilled guardian, not a novice who hadn't finished his training. He also wasn't weak and on the verge of passing out. **

**And man, was he fast. I'd forgotten how fast guardians could be, how they could move and strike like cobras. **

"And Dimitri is faster than most," Lissa said admiringly.

I looked at Dimitri and saw a slight red tint to his cheeks.

**He knocked me off as though brushing away a fly, and his hands slammed into me and sent me backwards. I don't think he meant to strike that hard—probably just intended to keep me away—but my lack of coordination interfered with my ability to respond. Unable to catch my footing, I started to fall, heading straight toward the sidewalk at a twisted angle, hip-first. It was going to hurt. A lot.**

Everyone winced at that, even my mother.

"Ouch", said Christian. "I'm sure that must have hurt like hell, Rose."

I laughed. "What makes you think it hurt?"

He looked bemused. "You fell on the sidewalk... How is that not supposed to hurt?"

**Only it didn't. **

„Why?", Christian asked and he looked even more bemused than before.

„Because of this", Eddie said and pointed at the book in his hands.

**Just as quickly as he'd blocked me, the man reached out and caught my arm, keeping me upright. **

"Oh", Sydney said and I grinned at Christian. "See?"

"Thanks, Comrade", I whispered and kissed Dimitri who chuckled lightly.

"Like I said, I didn't want to hurt you, Roza", he replied. "I never could…."

He smiled at me and kissed me on my forehead.

**When I'd steadied myself, I noticed he was staring at me—or, more precisely, at my neck. Still disoriented, I didn't get it right away. Then, slowly, my free hand reached up to the side of my throat and lightly touched the wound Lissa had made earlier. When I pulled my fingers back, I saw slick, dark blood on my skin.**

"I didn't want you to see that", I murmured and looked down. Dimitri said something in Russian and pulled me closer to his chest.

**Embarrassed, I shook my hair so that it fell forward around my face. My hair was thick and long and completely covered my neck. I'd grown it out for precisely this reason. **

**The guy's dark eyes lingered on the now-covered bite a moment longer and then met mine. I returned his look defiantly and quickly jerked out of his hold. He let me go, though I knew he could have restrained me all night if he'd wanted. **

**Fighting the nauseating dizziness, I backed toward Lissa again, bracing myself for another attack. Suddenly, her hand caught hold of mine. **

**"Rose," she said quietly. "Don't."**

**Her words had no effect on me at first, but calming thoughts gradually began to settle in my mind, coming across through the bond. It wasn't exactly compulsion—she wouldn't use that on me—but it was effectual, as was the fact that we were hopelessly outnumbered and outclassed. Even I knew struggling would be pointless. The tension left my body, and I sagged in defeat. **

Christian looked surprised. "I'm disappointed in you, Rosie-Posie. Why didn't you fight them? You are not the one to give up that easily."

"We were hopelessly outnumbered - and outclassed at that point. I didn't have any training! I never stood a chance against fully trained guardians!", I told him.

"It was a good decision to give up, Rose. They would've never hurt you or the Princess", mom said with a smile.

**Sensing my resignation, the man stepped forward, turning his attention to Lissa. His face was calm. He swept her a bow and managed to look graceful doing it, which surprised me considering his height. "My name is Dimitri Belikov," he said. I could hear a faint Russian accent. "I've come to take you back to St. Vladimir's Academy, Princess."**

"I wonder why you took me with you in the first place…" I looked at Dimitri. "I mean, nobody wanted to have me back at the Academy. You heard Kirova when we returned…."

He shrugged. "I don't know. They didn't say not to bring you back and since you and the Princess ran off together I didn't see why we shouldn't bring you back as well."

"I'm glad you did", I told him and he smiled.

"Yeah, me too."

"So, this is the end of the first chapter", Eddie said and closed the book. "So, I guess the four of you wanted to talk about something?" He looked at Dimitri, me and my parents who nodded.

"Yes, thank you for the reminder, Guardian Castile", my mother said and looked at me. "Now do the five of you mind leaving the room for a while?"

"No, it's okay", replied Lissa and smiled at my parents. "We can go and find something to eat so you can join us later."

After the door shut behind them there was an awkward silence between us and I felt really uncomfortable. Finally, my mother cleared her throat. "So, you and Belikov", she began. "How long have you two been a couple?"

I thought about lying to them about our relationship but Abe's eyes told me that he wanted to hear the truth if we wanted to get out of here.

"We didn't have a real relationship back at the Academy", Dimitri answered. "And we tried to fight it but in the end our feelings were too strong and we had to give in. But I have been in love with your daughter since the first time I saw her."

My father nodded. "I hope this isn't just a fling for you, Belikov. And let me tell you one thing – if you ever hurt Rose, no matter how bad it might be, I will destroy you and it will be painful. In fact, it'll be the worst pain you have ever experienced and you will want to spend your next vacations in hell after I'm finished with you."

"I would never hurt Rose. I never could." He looked at me with so much love that my knees suddenly began to feel like jelly.

"Don't think that I'm against your relationship, Guardian Belikov, but I still think it was irresponsible from you to let that happen when you two were still at the Academy. And no matter how much I still think it was wrong, I want Rose to be happy and if she is then I will be as well." I was surprised at my mother's words. I'd never expected her to say that and so I hugged her and mumbled. "Thanks, mom."

She smiled and let go of me.

"Belikov", said Abe and I frowned. "I would like to talk to you in private if you don't mind."

"Of course, Mr. Mazur", Dimitri replied politely and they left the room, leaving me and my mother alone.

"Are you really happy, Rose?", she asked and I could see how much she cared about me.

"Yes, I am. He's all I ever wanted", I replied and she smiled. "So…", I said, trying to change the subject. "You and Abe, eh?"

Alright, I have changed the chapter and I hope that all the problems/mistakes are solved now! :) What do you think of it now? Review please! :)


	4. Chapter 4

Hello everyone!

I'm back - finally. After a long, long time of not writing and updating anything I've decided to do the next chapter. I'm sorry about that but school comes first and I hope you all understand that. :)

Have fund reading the chapter and don't forgert to give me many reviews! ;)

* * *

Dimitri-POV:

I followed Abe into a room that looked like it hadn't been used in a long time. The old furniture was covered in dust, the shelves empty apart from an old clock that apparently wasn't working anymore.

"What did you want to talk to me about?" I asked, feeling a bit uncomfortable in Abe's presence. Especially now, that we were alone. He gave me a look telling me that he was very serious about what was to come next.

"I know you love her, Belikov", Abe said slowly, choosing his words carefully. "And I also know that Rose would be devastated if something happened to you..."

I nodded.

"But if you hurt her in any way, not matter how, it'll be the last thing you do", he added, a dangerous expression in his dark, clever eyes. "Do you understand?"

"Yes, Sir" Again I nodded. "I don't think you have to be worried about that cause that's never gonna happen. I wouldn't dream of hurting Rose. Not in this or any other life."

"Good!" He said happily. "Now that this settled, let's go back to the others!"

With that he turned around and left me staring after him. That man was amazing. One minute he was the bad mobster dad threatening to slowly kill you if you ever hurt his daughter and then suddenly he was smiling as if nothing happened. I shook my head following him out of the room.

Rose-POV:

"What do you mean Abe and me?" my mother asked bewildered. "There's nothing going on between the two of us if you mean that."

I raised an eyebrow. "Oh, come on, mom! You were giggling AND blushing. I've never seen you doing any of it. You didn't even push him away when he ran his hand through your hair. Quite the contrary was the case."

She stared at me and I could tell that she was beginning to get annoyed by our conversation. "I didn't! Besides, even if I did, it is none of your business!"

I grinned at her. "I know but I wouldn't mind you two spending time together and –"

I was interrupted by the sound of footsteps and as I looked up my father walked toward us, a huge smile on his face.

"Well, at least we can have lunch now!" Mom said, giving me a final last glare before disappearing through the now open door.

Abe watched her as she stormed out of the room. "What did you do to upset her this time?"

A small smile played on my lips when I responded. "I asked her if there was anything going on between the two of you and she denied."

With that I followed my mother and nearly ran into Dimitri.

"So, you are still alive, comrade!" I said cheerfully, hugging him. "He didn't hurt you, did he?" I added worried.

"No, he didn't, Roza" Dimitri smiled down at me and kissed the top of my head. "He just told me what would happen to me if I ever hurt you."

I sighed. "I think I'll have to talk to him again."

"Why?" Dimitri asked surprised. "He really cares a lot about you. Besides, it's nothing I will have to worry about. I'm never going to hurt you again, Roza!"

Never again. I winced at those words. I remembered those four little words that had shattered my whole world. "Love fades, mine has."

"I know" I whispered closing my eyes. "I know and I love you, comrade."

After having lunch in ones of the restaurants we all sat in our seats in room 13 again, preparing ourselves for the next few chapters of "Vampire Academy".

"Who wants to read next?" I asked and looked around.

"Okay, hand over the book, Rose-Posie" said Christian with an evil grin on his face and I practically threw the book over to where he was sitting.

"Rose!" scolded my mother but I simply ignored her.

**"Chapter 2" **read Christian.

**My hatred notwithstanding, I had to admit Dimitri Beli-whatever**

"At first you don't remember my name and then you even hate me?" Dimitri sounded shocked.

"Calm down, comrade. I had to! You wanted to drag us back to the Academy!" I explained. "AND you attacked me."

Lissa laughed a little, shaking her head.

**was pretty smart. After they'd carted us off to the airport and onto the Academy's private jet, he'd taken one look at the two of us whispering and ordered us separated.**

"At least you think I'm smart" he whispered and now it was my turn to laugh.

"Of course, you are! Though in that moment I wished you weren't" I replied, making _him _laugh.

"That was indeed a very smart move, Belikov" my mother agreed. "God knows what they were talking about. Probably planning their escape."

I glared at her but we all knew that she was right. We had been planning our escape.

"**Don't let them talk to each other," he warned the guardian who escorted me to the back of the plane. "Five minutes together, and they'll come up with an escape plan."**

**I shot him a haughty look and stormed off down the aisle. Never mind the fact that we **_**had**_** been planning escape.**

Everyone burst out laughing at that.

"Only you could be _that_ obvious, Little Dhampir!" said Adrian laughing. Christian gave him a high-five and they had to laugh even herder as I glared at them angrily.

**As it was, things didn't look good for our heroes – or heroines, rather.**

"Sounds like you two were on a mission to save the world" said Eddie causing the others to laugh again.

**Once we were in the air, our odds of escape dropped further. Even supposing a miracle occurred and I did manage to take out all ten guardians, we'd sort of have a problem in getting off the plane. I figured they might have parachutes aboard somewhere, but in the unlikely event I'd be able to operate one, there was still that little issue of survival, seeing as we'd probably land somewhere in the Rocky Mountains. No, we weren't getting off this plane until it landed in backwoods Montana. I'd have to think of something then, something that involved getting past the Academy's magical wards **

**and ten times as many guardians. Yeah. No problem.**

**Although Lissa sat at the front with the Russian guy, her fear sang back to me, pounding inside my head like a hammer.**

Lissa winced. She didn't like causing me pain I knew that. "I'm sorry, Rose" she apologized but I just shook my head at her.

"Don't be. It wasn't that bad, you know" I tried to calm her down.

**My concern for her cut into my fury. They couldn't take her back **_**there**_**, not to that place. **

"Why not?" Sydney asked bemused. "It's not a bad place from what I've heard."

I sighed but didn't give an answer so Adrian said:"I'm sure it'll be in the book, Syd." He then bent down to give her a short kiss on her lips, surprising us all. Sydney blushed and looked down.

**I wondered if Dimitri might have hesitated if he could feel what I did and knew what I knew.**

"Of course, Roza," he confirmed and I smiled at him.

**Probably not. He didn't care. **

"You know I do care!" He sounded hurt.

"I do now, comrade. We hadn't the best relationship back then, remember?" I asked and he smiled.

"No, you even admitted hating me at the beginning" he said, causing the others to laugh. "AND you forgot my name."

More laughter.

**As it was, he emotions grew so strong that for a moment, I had the disorienting sensation of sitting in her seat – in her **_**skin**_** even. It happened sometimes, and without much warning, she'd pull me right into her head.**

Lissa shivered. She didn't like it when I did that. I guess she was glad the bond was gone.

**Dimitri's tall frame sat beside me, and my hand – **_**her**_** hand – gripped a bottle of water. He leaned forward to pick up something, revealing six tiny symbols tattooed on the back of his neck: ****_molnija_**** marks.**

"You really had six?" Eddie asked in amazement and Dimitri nodded. "Wow, and I always thought Rose was joking about that."

**They looked like two streaks of jagged lightning crossing in an **_**X**_** symbol. One for each Strigoi he'd killed. Above them was a twisting line, sort of like a snake, that marked him as a guardian. The promise mark.**

**Blinking, I fought against her and shifted back into my own head with a grimace. I hated when that happened. **

"Then why did you do it all the time?" asked Lissa.

"Because I was worried about your safety." I answered. "Besides, it wasn't bad when I could control it."

**Feeling Lissa's emotions was one thing, but slipping into her head was something we both despised. She saw it as an invasion of privacy, so I usually didn't tell her when it happened. Neither of us could control it.**

"Yes, you can," said Christian. "You've been in her head several times!"

I sighed. "I could control it _after_, Pyro," I told him. "Back then we knew nearly nothing about the bond and its functions."

**It was another effect of the bond, a bond neither of us fully understood. **

**Legends existed about psychic links between guardians and their Moroi, but the stories had never mentioned anything like this. We fumbled through it as best we could.**

**Near the end of the flight, Dimitri walked back to where I sat and traded places with the guardian beside me. **

"I bet you _loved_ that," said Adrian cheerily. "That must have been like a dream coming true." He was smirking.

"Anything else to add?" I asked sweetly while holding up a fist. His smirk disappeared.

Christian and Eddie chuckled at his reaction but shut up as soon as they saw me glaring at them as well.

**I pointedly turned away,**

"Ouch", said Adrian. "That must have hurt badly."

"Adrian" I said sweetly. "Do you want to keep you lovely voice?"

He nodded, smiling at me. "Then shut up!" I shouted and he did.

**staring outside the window absentmindedly.**

"Is there a time your brain isn't absent?" asked Christian.

"Careful there, Ozera" warned Abe and Sparky actually paled. I laughed at him.

Sometimes I was really thankful that Abe was my dad and not the mailman.

**Several moments of silence passed. Finally, he said, "Were you really going to attack all of us?"**

**I didn't answer.**

**"Doing that…protecting her like that – it was very brave." He paused.**

"Brave?" Echoed my mother. "It was rather stupid if you ask me."

"Thanks, mom" I mumbled.

_**"Stupid**_**, but still brave. Why did you even try it?" **

"Great minds think alike!" said Eddie and the other laughed.

**I glanced over at him, brushing my hair out of my face so I could look him levelly in the eye. "Because I'm her guardian."**

"No, you weren't. You were still a novice, Rose" mom told me but I ignored her.

**I turned back toward the window.**

**After another quiet moment, he stood up and returned to the front of the jet. When we landed, Lissa and I had no choice but to let the commandos drive us out to the Academy. Our car stopped at the gate, and our driver spoke with guards who verified we weren't Strigoi about to go off on a killing spree. After a minute, they let us pass on through the wards and up to the Academy itself. It was around sunset – the start of the vampiric day – and the campus lay wrapped in shadows.**

**It probably looked the same, sprawling and gothic. The Moroi were big on tradition; nothing ever changed with them.**

"Not true" I said looking directly at my best friend who blushed. "Now that we have a new queen and more respectable laws..."

The others agrred nodding their heads in aprovement.

**This school wasn't as old as the ones in back in Europe, but it had been built in the same style. The buildings boasted elaborate, almost churchlike architecture, with high peaks and stone carvings. Wrought iron gates enclosed small gardens and doorways here and there.**

"Really, Rose?" Christian said. "Do you have to describe every building or place you see?"

"Yes, Sparky" I told him. "As a guardian I have to take in every detail. It's an important part of my job."

My mom an ddimitri nodded in agreement.

**After living on a college campus, I had a new appreciation for just how much this place resembled a university more than a typical high school. We were on the secondary campus, which was divided into lower and upper schools. Each was built around a large open quadrangle decorated with stone paths and enormous, century-old trees. We were going toward the upper school's quad, which had academic buildings on one side, while dhampir dormitories and the gym sat opposite. Moroi dorms sat on one of the other ends, and opposite them were the administrative buildings that also served the lower school. Younger students lived on the primary campus, farther to the west. All around the campuses was space, space, and more space. We were in Montana, after all, miles away from any real city. The air felt cool in my lungs and smelled of pine and wet, decaying leaves. Overgrown forests ringed the perimeters of the Academy, and during the day, you could see mountains rising up in the distance.**

"You really lived out in nowhere" said Sydney, crinkling up her nose at the description of the surrounding area.

"It had to be some place humans wouldn't find it" my mother explained and the former students sighed.

**As we walked into the main part of the upper school, I broke from my guardian and ran up to Dimitri.**

"**Hey, Comrade."**

Everyone laughed and even Dimitri cracked a smile.

"_That_ was where the nickname came from? Just randomly out of nowhere?" asked my mom, her lips quirking into a smile.

"It seemed appropriate," I responded, crossing my arms. "Did you never come up with any nicknames yourself?"

Her smile grew and Abe chuckled, whispering something into her ear that caused her to blush. I stared at them. Clearly, there was something going on between those two. They just didn't want to admit it but I was going to find out soon.

**He kept walking and wouldn't look at me. "You want to talk now?"**

"**Are you taking us to Kirova?"**

"That old hag" Mia mumbled. "I wonder why she went to school. She never could stand kids."

"Yeah" Christian agreed. "Must have been some kind of punishment for her earlier life."

The caused Eddie and me to laugh.

"_**Headmistress**_** Kirova," he corrected. On the other side of him, Lissa shot me a look that said, **_**Don't start something**_**.**

"You should really listen to Vasilisa a little bit more, Rose" said my mom, smiling at Lissa.

"**Headmistress. Whatever. She's still a self-righteous old bit – "**

"Rose!" Exclaimed my mother. "How dare you speak of the Headmistress like that? Have at least a little respect towards elders."

I rolled my eyes at her. "Yeah, whatever. But you have to admit that she is not one of the friendliest people on this planet."

She looked at me disapprovingly and I sighed.

**My words faded as the guardians led us through the doors – straight into the commons. I sighed. Were these people **_**really **_**so cruel? **

**There had to be at least a dozen ways to get to Kirova's office, and they were taking us right through the center of the commons.**

**And it was breakfast time.**

"Ouch!" Said Sydney. "That's pretty much the worst time to be led through the center of the commons."

I nodded. "It was, believe me."

**Novice guardians – dhampirs like me – and Moroi sat together, eating and socializing, faces alight with whatever current gossip held the Academy's attention. **

**When we entered, the loud buzz of conversation stopped instantly, like someone had flipped a switch. Hundreds of sets of eyes swiveled toward us.**

**I returned the stares of my former classmates with a lazy grin,**

"Only you, Rose," said Adrian lightly.

**trying to get a sense as to whether things had changed. Nope. Didn't seem like it. Camille Conta still looked like the prim, perfectly groomed bitch I remembered, still the self-appointed leader of the Academy's royal Moroi cliques.**

"She was!" Mia agreed. "Always gossiping about everyone and everything. I couldn't stand her!"

**Off to the side, Lissa's gawky near-cousin Natalie watched with wide eyes, innocent and naïve as before.**

"Really, Rose. You shouldn't talk about Royals that way." Scolded my mother.

"Wait and find out what she was capable of! You won't think of her as innocent anymore, believe me!" I told her and the other students nodded in agreement.

"What did she do?" Sydney asked.

"You'll find out soon enough. It's part of the book, I'm sure of that." I answered and Christian continued reading.

**And on the other side of the room…well, that was interesting. Aaron. Poor, poor Aaron, who'd no doubt got his heart broken when Lissa left. He still looked as cute as ever – maybe more so now – with those same golden looks that complemented hers so well. His eyes followed her every move. Yes. Definitely not over her. It was sad, really, because Lissa had never really been all that into him.**

"Poor Aaron" Lissa said. "I did feel somewhat guilty about what I did to him. But I can't change it now."

Christian growled.

**I think she'd gone out with him simply because it seemed like the expected thing to do.**

Mia scowled. "You took him back _just for revenge, didn't you_? To pay be back for what I'd done to Rose" she asked, her voice going up an octave. Lissa nodded apologetically. Mia groaned.

"What did do to Rose?" asked Abe in a dangerously deep voice. Mia turned paler than she already was and stuttered. "No.. nothing..."

Again, I had to laugh. "Leave it, Old Man. We're good now."

**But what I found was most interesting was that Aaron had apparently found a way to pass the time without her.**

"You make me sound like some sort of object, Rose," grumbled Mia. "That's not nice, you know."

"I know but you looked pretty angry when we passed you." I replied. "Besides, he clearly wasn'r over Lissa so I thought that the expression fit quite well. Sorry!"

**Beside him, holding his hand, was a Moroi girl who looked about eleven**

"Eleven!" Exclaimed Mia. "I don't that young!"

**but had to be older, unless he'd become a pedophile during our absence.**

Dimitri looked hurt. "Rose, when you were eleven I was eighteen," he informed me.

"It seems like more of a gap when you're younger," I admitted. "It doesn't sound that much when you've reached the twenties."

"That's right" Abe agreed and looked down at my mom with a heart-warming smile.

"How many years are you two apart?" I asked curiously.

My mom blushed before mumbling something that sounded like "Five".

**With plump little cheeks and blond ringlets, she looked like a porcelain doll.**

"Oh, thank you, Rose" Mia said her voice dripping with sarcasm. "You're always so nice to the people around you."

**A very pissed off and evil porcelain doll.**

This earned laughs from all my friends, even Mia cracked a smile.

"That was a good one, Little Dhampir" Adrian chuckled.

**She gripped his hand tightly and shot Lissa a look of such burning hatred that it stunned me. What the hell was that all about? She was no one I knew. Just a jealous girlfriend, I guessed. I'd be pissed too if my guy was watching someone else like that.**

"Yeah, but you would take immediate actions to make clear what is yours" Eddie said with a smile on his face. "You would probably kill every woman that even tries to steal Dimitri away from you!"

"Right you are!" I told him. "But it would be s very slow and painful death, I can assure you that."

Abe looked at me with pride shining in his eyes. "That's my little girl!"

Mom simply shook her head but even she cracked a smile.

**Our walk of shame mercifully ended, though our new setting – Headmistress Kirova's office – didn't really improve things. The old hag looked exactly as I remembered, sharp nosed and gray-haired. She was tall and slim, like most Moroi, and had always reminded me of a vulture.**

"I think she even was one in one of her earlier lifes" I said, causing the others to laugh.

**I knew her well because I'd spent a lot of time in her office.**

"Oh I know! The amount of letters I got from the school was astounding," complained my mom.

I had to laugh at the face she was making. "And you really made the effort to actually read all those letters?"

"Of course! I had to know what you were up to!" She told me. "And Guardian Petrov would always want to talk to me about your behaviour. That's how I new hat you were doing."

**Most of our escorts left us once Lissa and I were seated, and I felt a little less like a prisoner. Only Alberta, the captain of the school's guardians, and Dimitri stayed. They took up positions along the wall, looking stoic and terrifying, just as their job description required.**

"You _never_ look stoic and terrifying, Rose," said Christian in between laughs.

"Yeah, but I can scare the shit out of _you_," I replied, punching him in the face. Not hard enough to break any bones, but hard nonetheless.

"Ow," he groaned and rubbed his cheek. "What was that for?"

"Nothing" I replied with a satisfied smile on my face. "It just proofed that I could hurt you - so, watch your mouth!"

**Kirova fixed her angry eyes on us and opened her mouth to begin what would no doubt be a major bitch session. A deep, gentle voice stopped her.**

"**Vasilisa."**

**Startled, I realized there was someone else in the room. I hadn't noticed.**

"Careless," muttered my mom before she could stop herself but immediately gace me an apologetic look.

**Careless for a guardian, even a novice one.**

"At least you knew it was careless of you not to notice him" she said.

**With a great deal of effort, Victor Dashkov rose up from a corner chair. **_**Prince**_** Victor Dashkov. Lissa sprang up and ran to him, throwing her arms around his frail body. **

"**Uncle," she whispered. She sounded on the verge of tears as she tightened her grip.**

**With a small smile, he gently patted her back. "You have no idea how glad I am to see you safe, Vasilisa."**

"For your own plans, you bastard," I growled at the book. "So you could use her to cure you."

**He looked toward me. "And you too, Rose."**

"Fake" I told Victor in the book. "He tried to get rid of me later."

"How did he do that?" Sydney asked.

Dimitri and I shared a knowing look. "I'm sure it's in the book." Dimitri replied and I carefully avoided looking at my parents. Oh, that was so not going to be fun.

**I nodded back, trying to hide how shocked I was. He'd been sick when we left, but this – this was **_**horrible**_**. He was Natalie's father, only about forty or so,**

I looked at Abe, remembering what my mother told me earlier. Okay, she had merely mumbled the word "five" but still. Mom was 39, going towards 40, that meant Abe had to be around 44.

They saw the look on my face and both started laughing.

"What?" I asked, bemused at their reaction.

"It's funny how you try to figure out his age, that's all" my mother said between laughs.

**but he looked twice that age. Pale. Withered. Hands shaking. My heart broke watching him. With all the horrible people in the world, it didn't seem fair that this guy should get a disease that was going to kill him young and ultimately keep him from becoming king.**

"Oh, you would find a way of becoming one!" I growled.

"He didn't become king, Rose" Mom said bemused.

I didn't say anything in response but kept glaring at the book. Dimitri put his arms around me and pressed me onto his chest.

**Although not technically her uncle – the Moroi used family terms very loosely, especially the royals –Victor was a close friend of Lissa's family and had gone out of his way to help her after her parents had died. **

Lissa winced at that and Christian whispered some soothing words into her ear and she relaxed somewhat.

**I liked him;**

"Bullshit," I mumbled and Dimitri chuckled lightly.

**he was the first person here I was happy to see.**

**Kirova let them have a few more moments and then stiffly drew Lissa back to her seat.**

**Time for the lecture.**

"There we go" I sighed.

**It was a good one – on of Kirova's best, which was saying something.**

"She must have been practicing," observed Eddie, making us all laugh. Even my mother and Dimitri joined in.

**She was a master at them. I swear that was the only reason she'd gone into school administration, because I had yet to see any evidence of her actually **_**liking **_**kids.**

Again, we laughed, remembering Mia's words from earlier in the chapter.

**The rant covered the usual topics: responsibility, reckless behavior, self-centeredness…Bleh. I immediately found myself spacing out,**

"Typical" said Lissa. "You never really payed attention to her lectures, did you?"

I grinned at her. "At least I know what they were about."

Adrian, Eddie, Mia and Christian burst out laughing again and Abe gave me an amused smile.

**alternatively pondering the logistics of escaping through the window in her office. But when the tirade shifted to me – well, that was when I tuned back in.**

"You should've been listening all the time, Rose" my mom told me. "After all, you did run away from the academy which was very careless of you - of both of you." She glanced at Lissa who gave her an apologetic smile.

"It was necessary, mom!" I retorted. "I wouldn't have done it if Lissa wasn't in danger!"

"As far as I know there was no danger, or was there?" she replied slightly annoyed by the topic and my stubbornness. "I don't know of any Strigoi that tried to capture her. And we would have recognized any other threads now, wouldn't we?"

I growled at her. She either didn't want to understand it or she really couldn't. "Believe me, mom, she was in danger! Why else would we run away from the academy?"

She opened her mouth again to say something in return but Abe shook his head. "Let it go, Janine" he said in a low voice. "I'm sure they had some really good reasons to run away. The past is the past, remember?"

My mom gave me one last glance but then sighed in defeat. Wow! Since when could anyone calm her down and see reason? But again, it was Abe we were talking about...

**"You, Miss Hathaway, broke the most sacred promise among our kind: the promise of a guardian to protect a Moroi. It is a great trust. A trust that you violated by selfishly taking the princess away from here. The Strigoi would love to finish off the Dragomirs; you nearly enabled them to do it."**

"I didn't!" I exclaimed clearly upset. "I tried my best to protect her! She's alive after all."

"I know, Rose" Lissa tried to calm me down. "You did a good job back then. It wasn't perfect but you kept me alive, after all. And we did have fun in those two years, didn't we?"

I grinned at her. "Yeah, it was pretty much fun. Though, I have to say that I never really liked the going-to-school-part." I admitted.

Lissa and Christian chuckled lightly.

**"Rose didn't kidnap me." Lissa spoke before I could, her voice and face calm, despite her uneasy feelings. "I wanted to go. Don't blame her."**

"You two always try to protect each other" said Dimitri in amazement. "That's rare."

My mom nodded.

**Ms. Kirova tsked at us both and paced the office, hands folded behind her narrow back.**

**"Miss Dragomir, you could have been the one who orchestrated the entire plan for all I know, but it was still her responsibility to make sure you didn't carry it out. If she'd done her duty, she would have notified someone. If she'd done her duty, she would have kept you safe."**

**I snapped.**

"Finally" said Chrisitan, Eddie and Mia simultaneously. Adrian laughed at the words while my mother and Sydney didn't look too happy about it.

"Rose in action!" said Adrian between laughs.

**"I did do my duty!" I shouted, jumping up from my chair. Dimitri and Alberta both flinched but left me alone since I wasn't trying to hit anyone. Yet. "I did keep her safe! I kept her safe when none of you" - I made a sweeping gesture around the room - "could do it. I took her away to protect her. I did what I had to do. You certainly weren't going to."**

"No, you didn't do your duty!" This came from my mother. Again. "If you had done your duty you wouldn't have run away, Rosemarie Hathaway!"

"Guess, we're never going to get out of this" I muttered under my breath and Lissa sighed.

**Through the bond, I felt Lissa trying to send me calming messages, again urging me not to let anger get the best of me.**

"Too late" said Eddie, maiking Christian laugh as well.

"What?" asked Sydney and Mia.

**Too late.**

This made everyone in the room burst out laughing.

**Kirova stared at me, her face blank. "Miss Hathaway, forgive me if I fail to see the logic of how taking her out of a heavily guarded, magically secured environment is protecting her. Unless there's something you aren't telling us?"**

**I bit my lip.**

"Yeah" interrupted Mia. "Why did you take her out of the academy? It is, after all, a very secure and save place."

"I'm sure it'll be in the book, Mia." I replied not wanting to say any more about that.

**"I see. Well, then. By my estimation, the only reason you left - aside from the novelty of it, no doubt - was to avoid the consequences of that horrible, destructive stunt you pulled just before your disappearance."**

"What destructive stunt?" asked Sydney and the former students laughed, all looking at me.

"Well..." I begann. "that kind of wasn't my fault. In fact, I didn't even do anything - apart from lying."

My mother snorted. I decided to ignore her this time.

**"No, that's not - "**

**"And that only makes my decision that much easier. As a Moroi, the princess must continue on here at the Academy for her own safety, but we have no such obligations to you. You will be sent away as soon as possible."**

"That wasn't fair" Eddie said. "Just because she or was the princess and a Moroi and you are a dhampir."

"She's being a racist" stated Mia. "Definitely not fair if you ask me."

**My cockiness dried up. "I…what?"  
**

"What!?" Said Adrian in amazement. "The mighty Rose Hathaway speechless? No way!"

**Lissa stood up beside me. "You can't do that! She's my guardian."**

"No, she wasn't back then" my mom informed us. As if we didn't know already. I mentally rolled my eyes and Dimitri chuckled lightly.

**"She is no such thing, particularly since she isn't even a guardian at all. She's still a novice."**

**"But my parents - "**

**"I know what your parents wanted, God rest their souls, but things have changed. Miss Hathaway is expendable. She doesn't deserve to be a guardian, and she will leave."**

"She can't do that" Sydney shook her head. "That really wasn't fair."

The others nodded in agreement.

**I stared at Kirova, unable to believe what I was hearing. "Where are you going to send me? To my mom in Nepal? Did she even know I was gone?**

"Of course, I knew you were gone, Rose!" She sounded a bit hurt at my words.

"Yes, but I didn't know that back then" I replied. "We didn't really have a good relationship, remember? I barely knew you. How could it have been any different when you never paid me a visit? You didn't even send me a letter or a card for my birthday."

It wasn't really fair and I knew I was being mean but she barely ever visited me. The least she could have done was sending me a letter for my birthdays.

She looked down and Abe put his arms around her, pressing her to his chest and giving her a light kiss on the top of her head.

"I'm sorry" I mumbled. "I shouldn't have said that. I know you had other duties to do than looking after your daughter."

She didn't reply but closed her eyes. A small tear rolled down her cheek and fell onto her black blouse and again I felt guilty.

**Or maybe you'll send me off to my father?"**

"Hey!" Abe exclaimed. "What's wrong with me?"

"Nothing, Old Man" I said with a grin. "I just didn't know who my father was back then."

**Her eyes narrowed at the bite in that last word. When I spoke again, my voice was so cold, I barely recognized it.**

**"Or maybe you're going to try to send me off to be a blood whore. Try that, and we'll be gone by the end of the day."**

"Sorry, Comrade" I whispered. "I didn't mean it like that."

"It's okay, Roza" He assured me, rubbing my back lightly. "I know you didn't"

I smiled and kissed him.

"I love you, Comrade" I told him and he rewarded me with one of his rare heart-warming smiles.

"I love you, too, Roza" whispered into my ear.

**"Miss Hathaway," she hissed, "you are out of line."**

**"They have a bond." Dimitri's low, accented voice broke the heavy tension, and we all turned toward him. I think Kirova had forgotten he was there, but I hadn't. His presence was way too powerful to ignore. He still stood against the wall, looking like some sort of cowboy sentry in that ridiculous long coat of his. He looked at me, not Lissa, his dark eyes staring straight through me. "Rose knows what Vasilisa is feeling. Don't you?"**

"How did you figure it out, Belikov?" Abe asked curiously eyeing Dimitri.

"The way they were looking at each other and tried to protect the other one." He simply replied. "Rose always seemed to know what Lissa was thinking and how she was feeling. That's how I guessed."

"You know" I said smiling. "You kind of saved the situation."

**I at least had the satisfaction of seeing Kirova caught off guard as she glanced between us and Dimitri. "No…that's impossible. That hasn't happened in centuries."**

"Doesn't mean it won't happen again" Abe said and we nodded.

**"It's obvious," he said. "I suspected as soon as I started watching them."**

**Neither Lissa nor I responded, and I averted my eyes from his.**

**"That is a gift," murmured Victor from his corner. "A rare and wonderful thing."**

"It was" Lissa said smiling at me."Pretty useful."

I returned the smile, nodding in agreement.

"But it also had its bad sides" she added unhappily.

"It wasn't that bad, Liss" I assured her. "It had more good effects than bad."

"Bad effects?" asked Mia. "What kind of bad effects can a bond have?"

"Every guardian that shares a bond with a Moroi is shadow-kissed" I explained. "That means that said guardian was once brought back to life by that Moroi. Sometimes the darkness - a natural side effect of Spirit - takes over."

"And that's bad because?" Mia wanted to know.

"Because it can kill you" I simply answered. "It drives you crazy and many shadow-kissed guardians have comitted suicide because of it."

"Oh" Mia said. "I didn't know that."

My mother looked at me obviously worried about my sanity.

"I'm okay now, mom" I assured her. "The bond doesn't exist anymore."

**"The best guardians always had that bond," added Dimitri. "In the stories."**

"How true" said Abe looking at me with pride.

**Kirova's outrage returned. "Stories that are centuries old," she exclaimed. "Surely you aren't suggesting we let her stay at the Academy after everything she's done?"**

**He shrugged. "She might be wild and disrespectful, but if she has potential - "**

"Ouch" said Adrian grinning and I glared at him which made him laugh even more.

**"Wild and disrespectful?" I interrupted. "Who the hell are you anyway? Outsourced help?"**

"Rosemarie!" Exclaimed my mother. "You do not talk to a guardian like that!"

I rolled my eyes while the others where holding their rips from laughing so hard. Even Dimitri cracked a smile.

"I'm sorry, Comrade" I said grinning at him. "I was angry at you for dragging us back to the academy."

He shook his head but said nothing.

**"Guardian Belikov is the princess's guardian now," said Kirova. "Her sanctioned guardian."**

**"You got cheap foreign labor to protect Lissa?"**

"Double ouch!" Adrian winced. "That must have hurt."

**That was pretty mean of me to say - particularly since most Moroi and their guardians were of Russian or Romanian descent - but the comment seemed cleverer at the time than it really was. And it wasn't like I was one to talk. I might have been raised in the U.S., but my parents were foreign-born. My dhampir mother was Scottish - red-haired, with a ridiculous accent**

"My accent is not ridiculous!" My mom protested. "It is perfectly fine!"

Abe smiled warmingly at her. "It is, Janie" he whispered and my mother blushed.

I raised an eyebrow. So there's nothing going on, eh?

**- and I'd been told my Moroi dad was Turkish.**

"I am!" He said happily.

**That genetic combination had given me skin the same color as the inside of an almond, along with what I liked to think were semi-exotic desert-princess features: big dark eyes and hair so deep brown that it usually looked black. I wouldn't have minded inheriting the red hair, but we take what we get.**

"So you don't mind my red hair at all?" My mother teased and I rolled my eyes at her.

"Who'd mind your hair, Janie?" Abe whispered into her ear in a low voice and she blushed again.

**Kirova threw her hands up in exasperation and turned to him. "You see? Completely undisciplined! All the psychic bonds and very raw potential in the world can't make up for that. A guardian without discipline is worse than no guardian."**

"What would Rose be without that rare quality?" Christian said laughing.

"Yeah, that would be very boring, don't you think?" Added Eddie and the others nodded smiling at me.

"Thanks, Ed" I said.

**"So teach her discipline. Classes just started. Put her back in and get her training again."**

**"Impossible. She'll still be hopelessly behind her peers."**

**"No, I won't," I argued. No one listened to me.**

**"Then give her extra training sessions," he said.**

**They continued on while the rest of us watched the exchange like it was a Ping-Pong game. My pride was still hurt over the ease with which Dimitri had tricked us, but it occurred to me that he might very well keep me here with Lissa. Better to stay at this hellhole than be without her. Through our bond, I could feel her trickle of hope.**

**"Who's going to put in the extra time?" demanded Kirova. "You?"**

**Dimitri's argument came to an abrupt stop. "Well, that's not what I - "**

**Kirova crossed her arms with satisfaction. "Yes. That's what I thought."**

"Did you realize what you've gotten yourself into, Belikov?" asked my father.

Dimitri laughed openly. "I didn't but I certanly don't regret it."

I smiled at him thankful.

**Clearly at a loss, he frowned. His eyes flicked toward Lissa and me, and I wondered what he saw. Two pathetic girls, looking at him with big, pleading eyes? Or two runaways who'd broken out of a high-security school and swiped half of Lissa's inheritance?**

"Both" he whispered.

**"Yes," he said finally. "I can mentor Rose. I'll give her extra sessions along with her normal ones."**

**"And then what?" retorted Kirova angrily. "She goes unpunished?"**

**"Find some other way to punish her," answered Dimitri. "Guardian numbers have gone down too much to risk losing another. A girl, in particular."**

"That's true" my mom said in agreement. "There are hardly any female guardians anymore."

"Yeah" I retorted. "That's because they raise their children and actually _care_ about them!"

"Rose!" Abe rose his coice and he sounded angier than I'd expected. "That's enough!"

I snorted. Why? I was right, wasn't I?

**His unspoken words made me shudder, reminding me of my earlier statement about "blood whores." Few dhampir girls became guardians anymore.**

**Victor suddenly spoke up from his corner. "I'm inclined to agree with Guardian Belikov. Sending Rose away would be a shame, a waste of talent."**

"Sais the man who wanted to get rid of me" I muttered to the book.

**Ms. Kirova stared out her window. It was completely black outside. With the Academy's nocturnal schedule, morning and afternoon were relative terms. That, and they kept the windows tinted to block out excess light.**

**When she turned back around, Lissa met her eyes. "Please, Ms. Kirova. Let Rose stay."**

**Oh, Lissa, I thought. Be careful. Using compulsion on another Moroi was dangerous - particularly in front of witnesses. But Lissa was only using a tiny bit, and we needed all the help we could get. Fortunately, no one seemed to realize what was happening.**

"That was very dangerous, Liss" I told her. "You could've been caught."

"I'm sorry, Rose" she replied. "But I couldn't let them throw you out of the academy! That wouldn't have been fair."

"I know, Liss." I smiled at her. "Thanks."

I don't even know if the compulsion made a difference, but finally, Kirova sighed.

**"If Miss Hathaway stays, here's how it will be." She turned to me. "Your continued enrollment at St. Vladimir's is strictly probationary. Step out of line once, and you're gone. You will attend all classes and required trainings for novices your age. You will also train with Guardian Belikov in every spare moment you have - before and after classes. Other than that, you are banned from all social activities, except meals, and will stay in your dorm. Fail to comply with any of this, and you will be sent…away."**

**I gave a harsh laugh. "Banned from all social activities? Are you trying to keep us apart?" I nodded toward Lissa. "Afraid we'll run away again?"**

"You should take the offer" my mom said, still avoiding my eye contact.

"It's the past, remember?" I replied. "I did take it. Otherwise I wouldn't be here today."

**"I'm taking precautions. As I'm sure you recall, you were never properly punished for destroying school property. You have a lot to make up for." Her thin lips tightened into a straight line. "You are being offered a very generous deal. I suggest you don't let your attitude endanger it."**

"She was right, Rose" Dimitri whispered. "The deal was indeed very generous."

"But you're glad how things turned out, aren't you?"

He nodded. "Yes, completely."

**I started to say it wasn't generous at all, but then I caught Dimitri's gaze. It was hard to read. He might have been telling me he believed in me. He might have been telling me I was an idiot to keep fighting with Kirova. I didn't know.**

"Again, both" He said. "I just hoped you would accept the offer."

**Looking away from him for the second time during the meeting, I stared at the floor, conscious of Lissa beside me and her own encouragement burning in our bond. At long last, I exhaled and glanced back up at the headmistress.**

**"Fine. I accept."**

"Wise decision" Dimitri told me and I kissed him. I didn't even recognize that all the others were staring at us. For me, there was only Dimitri and nothing else mattered at this very moment.

"Oh, get a room you two!" Said Adrian disgustedly. We smiled at each other and he let me go.

"Okay, who wants to read next?" asked Christian, looking around.

"I suggest we go to bed now" Lissa said yawning and stretching. She looked around the room.

"In here?" Christian asked doubtfully. "On the floor?"

As if the room could understand what he was saying, five doors appeared at the opposite wall, each one having a a golden sign with names on it.

"I think they, whoever they are, have planned all this to make sure we stay in the room to read the books." Lissa determined. "Alright, let's find out who shares are room, shall we?"

We got up and had a closer look at the doors. Apparently, Dimitri and I were going to share a room as well as Liaas and Christian, Mia and Eddie, Sydney and Adrian and my parents. From the look on my mom's face I could tell that she didn't like the idea of sharing a room with Abe who, on the other hand, looked very much satisfied. I sighed and shook my head. That's not going to end well.

Dimitri sent me a questioning glance but din't say anything. Instead, I pointed at the door to our bedroom and we both entered it.

* * *

So, how did you like it? I know, there must be plenty of mistakes. If you help me find them I'll be happy to remove them! :)

And don't forget to write a review!


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